A typical high volume carpet manufacturing process requires dyeing an entire roll of carpet in one color. The roll of carpet is then warehoused by the manufacturer until a customer orders a length of carpet of that color. For common colors, this process works relatively efficiently as there is a constant demand. However, for less popular colors, a major portion of a roll of that color can remain warehoused for a long period of time. When considering that some carpet styles can have up to 60 different colors, the inventory costs become very large. Thus, a challenge facing carpet manufacturers is how to produce a wide variety of colors and styles of carpet without having to carry large inventories of less popular varieties.
Attempts have been made to reduce the transition time necessary to change colors, such that it is economical to produce different color carpets on a single roll, with limited success. In one known method, a vacuum purge system is used to evacuate a first dye color and simultaneously switch to a second dye color. Although known as a “quick-change” dye machine, changing the dye color creates an unusable section of carpet of 18″ or more in length when the carpet is run at a typical 60 feet per minute, and carpet may be run as fast as 160 feet per minute depending on carpet weight. This carpet waste has discouraged companies from changing colors in the middle of a roll. A need in the art therefore exists for a carpet dyeing process that can efficiently produce at least two different colors in a single roll.
An additional challenge facing carpet manufacturers is how to process orders to reduce the need to warehouse less popular styles and colors. Typically, a manufacturer will create a high level production plan identifying time frames for producing various styles of carpet based on demand forecasts and average orders per month. This production plan can be used to order raw materials and is often referred to when providing a customer with a promised delivery date.
On a daily or weekly basis, a production schedule is created. This schedule is more detailed than the production plan and typically identifies the SKUs to be produced and allots time on a particular product line or piece of equipment to produce the particular SKUs. A “SKU” is a number identifying a product sold and the term “SKU” will be used herein to refer to a particular style and color of carpet. When an order is received for a particular SKU, known order processing systems search the manufacturer's inventory to satisfy the order. If the order cannot be satisfied with present inventory, an entire roll of that particular SKU is scheduled for production. The unused portion of the carpet roll is then stored in a warehouse. Thus, there is a need in the art to increase efficiency of the order process and reduce the carpet manufacturer's inventory costs.